Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson lives by the philosophy that it’s all about keeping offenses out of the endzone. That philosophy got the job done against the Jets. The Eagles made some big plays keeping New York out of the zone.
The Birds defense allowed Jets running back Thomas Jones to have a big day but they kept them out of the endzone and that was ultimately the difference in the football game. Johnson’s defenses always enter a game with the goal of holding the opponent to 17 points or less.
The run defense was pathetic in the first half. The Jets Thomas Jones was taking his time getting in behind his offensive line and cutting the ball back to the Eagles left side. Eagles left defensive end Jevon Kearse wasn’t getting off his block and outside linebackers Takeo Spikes and Chris Gocong were overrunning the play to the other side. getting ahead of the play. Strong safety Sean Considine was getting caught up inside. The defensive tackles weren’t get any penetration so Jones was having plenty of room to make his cuts.
The Eagles defense did a good job of making an adjustment to that run play and shutting it down in the second half. The Jets tried to run some of the same plays they had run in the first half but they weren’t nearly as successful. I know Thomas was waiting for that cutback because he had seen in the first half but the fact that they had Kearse sitting to start the second half says something to me.
Cornerback Sheldon Brown played brilliantly with an interception and a key broken up pass on fourth down in the endzone with the Jets on the Eagles three-yard line. Sheldon had excellent coverage on both plays. He was positioned in front of Brad Smith when he picked off one of Chad Pennington’s passes. The Jets QB underthrew the ball and made things easy for Brown, but he do a good job of going up and getting the ball at its highest point. On the play in the end zone, Brown got in between Pennington and his intended receiver, Laveranues Coles, and made the Jet Qb have to make a perfect throw for the completion.
Defensive end Trent Cole had a solid game with a quarterback sack and one he should have had. The “D” line pressured Jets quarterback Chad Pennington and kept him out of sync most of the afternoon. Jevon Kearse recovered from early in the game when the Jets were cutting back his way. Kearse and the defense shut down the run and Kearse notched his second sack of the year.
